postpartum meals

Before Leo arrived I tried to put away a fair amount of freezer meals. My sister-in-law, Jenny, helped me one day in getting a whole bunch in the freezer, and I would also make double batches of soup for Dave and I – half to eat and half to freeze. All that being said, I didn’t want to dip into the freezer meals right away, post-baby. I wanted to save them for a particularly bad day or for when I go back to work. Plus, I was feeling pretty good last week, so I wanted to try to make dinner if I could. Here’s what we had during Leo’s first week:

lentil barley soup (I made this one) (saute onions and garlic. Add water, barley, lentils, diced tomatoes, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Simmer away!) I made this twice, it was so good. We love having a bunch in the fridge for lunch.

cauliflower macaroni and cheese (tag team effort between mom and I)

soba noodle stir fry (mostly me)

green pepper and tomato pizza (Dave ordered and picked up)

black bean wet burritoes (Dave ordered, I picked up, mom paid)

Yes, we had takeout twice, but I’m still pretty happy with how the week went. We have a bunch of leftovers in the fridge and a giant pan of lasagna from our neighbors, so we’re pretty set for the next few days if fresh meals don’t get made. I need to get in the habit of looking ahead at the week for meals so I can do my grocery shopping all at once – it will be much harder to just make a run to Kroger for a missing ingredient. Plus, if I have a plan I can prep parts of the meal ahead of time, while Leo is sleeping.

So far this week we’ve just had leftover lasagna (this pan could feed 20, I swear). But Dave and Leo and I are headed to the farmer’s market this afternoon, so I’m thinking we’ll scare up something fresh and veggie-riffic for dinner tonight!

Brown chicken pieces in a large skillet on high heat. Lower heat. Mix soup and water together and add to pan. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Add veggies and seasonings. Combine everything. Cut cheese into cubes and put on top. Cover for a couple minutes to let cheese melt. Stir cheese in. Enjoy.

You will get the hang of “it” (life) in no time flat. Just continue to give yourself a break and be ok with tuna fish sandwiches and annies mac n cheese until you feel like you have a handle on life. 🙂 Lola was a big time fussy baby, ring sling or moby wrap plus a walk outside put both our minds at ease, and usually her to sleep (not saying that Leo will be fussy, but for those, “I have no idea what I am doing!” moments)